2026 Alumni Award Honorees

Cognitive Science | Marshall College

President, Dartmouth

Sian Leah Beilock is the 19th President of Dartmouth and the first woman in the role. During her time at Dartmouth and beyond, she has advanced groundbreaking initiatives to rebuild trust and faith in higher education — from affordability, to mental health and wellness, to fostering skills in young people to bridge political and personal divides. A leading cognitive scientist focused on performance under pressure, Sian is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Sciences Letters. She has authored 120 papers and two acclaimed books, and her 2017 TED talk has more than 3 million views.

Economics | Muir College

Founder and CEO, LionTree

Aryeh Bourkoff leads LionTree, an independent merchant bank recognized globally for advising and investing in media, technology, telecom and consumer companies. Over the past decade, he has built LionTree’s mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and asset management capabilities, partnering with CEOs, creators and investors on transformative transactions. Before founding LionTree, he spent 13 years at UBS, rising to vice chairman and head of Americas investment banking. A dedicated supporter of UC San Diego, Aryeh established the LionTree Endowed Scholarship Fund for scholar-athletes in 2021 and served as co-chair of the Campaign for UC San Diego. He also serves on boards including Yahoo, Nobu and Carnegie Hall.

Political Science | Revelle College

Board Chair, PTC; Board Member, Synopsys

A distinguished technology executive with more than three decades of experience, Janice Durbin Chaffin has led large-scale global hardware and software businesses through periods of growth and transformation. A proud UC San Diego alumna, she has remained committed to advancing innovation and leadership across the tech industry. Her career spans executive leadership at Fortune 500 companies, board service for leading public technology firms and advisory roles supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.

History and Political Science | Muir College

Founder, Managing Partner and CIO, Gramercy Funds Management

With nearly four decades of investment experience, Robert Koenigsberger exemplifies Triton excellence in global finance. He founded Gramercy in 1998 with the vision of building a global, institutional investment management firm focused on emerging markets. His career includes senior leadership roles at Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch, where he led sovereign debt restructurings and traded emerging markets debt across New York, London and Hong Kong. He serves in advisory and governance roles supporting academic and financial research institutions, and at UC San Diego, he served on the New York Regional Cabinet for the Campaign for UC San Diego. In addition, as chair of the Kroner and Koenigsberger Center for Financial Research at UC San Diego’s Industry Advisory Council since its inception, Robert has been centrally important to the growth of the center.

Bioengineering | Jacobs School of Engineering

President and CEO, EpiBiologics

Ann Lee-Karlon is president and CEO of EpiBiologics, where she leads the development of next-generation bispecific antibody therapeutics in oncology and immunology. Her career spans leadership roles at Altos Labs and Genentech, where she guided transformative therapies from early research to global launch. A former National Science Foundation Fellow, she remains deeply committed to advancing science, medicine and inclusive leadership. At UC San Diego, Ann currently serves on the Jacobs School of Engineering Dean’s Council of Advisors and previously served as its chair.

History | Muir College

Dean, Kogod School of Business at American University

David Marchick is dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, where he has driven innovation in sustainability, AI and entrepreneurship. Previously, he served as COO of the U.S. Development Finance Corporation, where he supported global COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing, and held multiple senior roles in the Clinton administration. He also spent 12 years at Carlyle where he served on the firm's management committee and helped take the firm public. David has taught at Dartmouth, served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, and co-authored The Peaceful Transition of Power: An Oral History of Presidential Transitions. He served as a vice chair of the Campaign for UC San Diego and as chair of the Washington, DC Regional Cabinet.

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering | Revelle College

Venture Partner, New Enterprise Associates

Gregory Papadopoulos joined New Enterprise Associates as a venture partner in 2010, focusing on early-stage systems, software and deep-tech companies. He was previously executive vice president and chief technology officer at Sun Microsystems and an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. Early in his career, he was an engineer at HP and Honeywell, lead architect at Thinking Machines Corporation and co-founded companies in video conferencing, AI accelerators, portable PCs and computational fluid dynamics. Greg is a trustee for the Computer History Museum and a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum. He was elected to the UC San Diego Foundation Board of Trustees in 2017 and served as a vice chair for the Campaign for UC San Diego and as a co-chair of the Bay Area Regional Cabinet. He is also a member of the Jacobs School of Engineering Dean’s Council of Advisors.

Psychology | Muir College

Co-Founder and CEO, Hatch

Ann Crady Weiss is co-founder and CEO of Hatch, the sleep wellness company behind smart, design-forward products that help people of all ages, from newborns to adults, build healthy sleep habits. Hatch has helped more than six million people sleep better, with TIME naming Hatch Restore one of the 100 Best Inventions in 2020. Ann is also a partner at True Ventures, where she works closely with early-stage founders. Previously, she founded Maya's Mom, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson, and held senior leadership roles at Yahoo and BabyCenter. Ann serves on UC San Diego's executive board for The Basement.